Introduction to Psychology
Psyc 101 section 1, Haidt
University of Virginia, Spring 2009 (syllabus revised 2/24/09)
Tues/Thurs 3:30-4:45, Gilmer 130
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Instructor: Jonathan Haidt, 304 Gilmer, haidt@virginia.edu. Office hrs: M 10:15-12, Th. 4:45-6:00
Office phone is 243-7631, but please use e-mail or, better yet, come to office hours.
Teaching Assistants:
Cheryl Hahn, clh3jc@virginia.edu, Office hrs W 11-12, Th 2:15-3:15, Gilmer 210a. [all exam issues]
Holly Jones, hej3f@virginia.edu, Office hrs M 1-2, W 11:30-12:30, in Gilmer B015. [subject pool issues]
Optional discussion sessions will be Thursdays 4:50-5:50, in Gilmer 130
Text book: Schacter, Gilbert, & Wegner (2008). Psychology.
--Additional materials and self-tests are available on the publisher’s web page for the book:
www.worthpublishers.com/schacter
--We’ll also be reading half of The Happiness Hypothesis; Chapters can be printed from our website,
but you may want to buy the book on Amazon.
Web page: on collab.itc.virginia.edu, then psyc101-1. This is a very important class resource. It
contains handouts, lecture outlines, study guides, links to readings, and links to psychology sites.
Course structure: Two 75 minute lectures per week. You should do the assigned reading immediately
after the corresponding lecture.
Honor and Other Course Policies: If you are enrolled at the University of Virginia you have agreed
to abide by the Honor Code. I will ask you to publicly restate that commitment on the first day of class.
Please also read the “honor policy statement” on our web page, and see the “rules for psyc 101”
handout. The underlying principle for most of these rules/guidelines is this: We all have roles to play
and jobs to do to make this class run smoothly. Honorable behavior and the assumption that others are
behaving honorably allows us to work together in the most collegial way to make our class and our
university work for everyone.
Course requirements and grading:
--First midterm exam (accounts for 25% of final grade)
--Second midterm exam (31%)
--Final exam (36%)
–2 small projects: Dream analysis (3%) and Positive Psychology (5%)
Research participation: You are required to participate in 6 credits of experimental research, or an
alternative, if you have not already done so through another psychology course at UVA. Yes, we are
asking you to be a guinea pig; that is how most of the studies that you will learn about in this course got
done. But we will do our best to make sure that you also learn about research in the process. (And if
you don’t want to take part there is an alternative) Sign up to participate in studies at
www.virginia.edu/psychology/ppool You must register on the web site even if you have previously
completed the experimental hours. Register using your email ID and the last 5 digits of your SS#.
Please see the second page of the “rules” handout for further info. Also please see the FAQs posted at
the site. If you have any questions after reading the FAQ page, you can ask Holly, or send your
question to ppool@virginia.edu
Course Schedule
1/15) Lecture #1. Introduction. Read: Ch.1 (of textbook: Schacter, Gilbert, &Wegner)
1/20) L2. Background-view: Biological Bases of Behavior. Read: Ch.3
1/22) L3. Lateralization and our various brains. Read: HH-Intro and HH-Ch.1 (Happiness Hypothesis, available
on web site). Begin recording your dreams. Go to the textbook website and explore materials for Ch.3.
1/27) L4. World-view #1: Psychoanalysis. Reading: Ch. 12 p. 462c - 470c (Freud), plus Ch. 8 p. 309a-318a,
(Sleep/dreams) plus Ch. II of Freud, “The Interpretation of Dreams”, available as a link on our web page.
1/29) L5. World-view #2: Behaviorism. Read: Ch.6 to p.242c
2/3), L6. Behaviorism and the cognitive revolution. Read: Finish Ch. 6, and Ch.2 to p.52a. FIRST PROJECT
DUE: DREAM ANALYSIS
2/5) L7. World-view #3: Cognitive Psychology, memory. Read: Ch.5. Begin studying for exam.
2/10) L8. Thought. Read: Ch.7
2/12) L9. Thought, cont. No new reading, just study for exam.
2/17) FIRST MIDTERM EXAM
2/19) L10. Sensation and Perception. Read: Ch.4 [p.150a-155a, audition, are optional]
2/24) L11. Consciousness. Read: Ch.8
2/26) L12. Intelligence: Read: Ch. 9, and finish Ch.2 (p.52a-end)
3/10) L13. World-view #4: Evolutionary Psychology. Read: “evolutionary psychology primer,” posted on our
class web page.
3/12) L14. Ev.psych cont., emotions. Read Ch. 10.
3/17) L15. Health and dieting. Read: Ch. 15 (up to p. 604a)
3/19) L16. Developmental Psychology. Physical and cognitive dev. Read: Ch.11, to p. 419c
3/24) L17. Social and sexual development. Finish Ch. 11. Begin studying for exam.
3/26) L18. Personality. Read: Ch. 12, up to p. 477a.
3/31) SECOND MIDTERM EXAM
4/2) L19. Social Psychology: attitudes and social cognition. Read: Ch.16, (but skip 631a to 640a for now)
4/7) L20. Stereotypes and social influence, Read: TBA. Take IAT
4/9) L21. Love and attraction. Read: HH-6, plus Ch. 16 p. 631a-640a
4/14) L22 Clinical Psychology. anxiety and depression. Read: Ch. 13 to p. 519b.
4/16) L23 Schizophrenia and other disorders. Read: finish ch. 13, plus HH-2 (on changing your personality and
your thoughts).
4/21) L24. Treatments. Read: Ch. 14
4/23) L25 Positive Psychology. Read: HH5 (on happiness), plus Positive Psych. article TBA. Write pos. psych
paper.
4/28) L26. Final lecture: Happiness and the meaning of life. Read: HH-10, HH-11. SECOND PROJECT DUE:
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY
5/1) FINAL EXAM, Friday. 10:00 am - 12 noon, in Gilmer 130 (in our regular classroom)